Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health Site Visits

and Events

Fellowship program site visits remain a central part of the redesigned Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health Program, and all Fellows, regardless of the length of their projects, atake part in the group site visits and meetings during the course of the year. The site visits and events provide journalists with the opportunity for in-depth learning about specific topics in health policy, and aim to address timely policy questions which are both current and complex. Typically, there are up to five program site visits during the fellowship year, varying in length from a couple of days to a week, for a total 4-5 weeks in any calendar year.

Fellows are consulted in planning for site visits and briefings, and are asked to contribute suggestions about topics and locations. Past programs have focused on prescription drug pricing and access to medication, safety net services and care for the uninsured, and cultural barriers to health care.

During the course of a typical fellowship year, Fellows can expect to meet in DC in September, at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, FL for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting, in the Spring for a weeklong site visit, in DC in May, and in the Summer for another weeklong site visit.

Site visit topics vary greatly, but focus mainly on U.S. health policy issues such as post-Katrina Health Issues in the Gulf Coast and the Medicaid program in Florida. From time to time, we conduct site visits outside of the States to examine issues with direct relevance to the U.S. Our August 2004 site visit to Canada, for example, focused on prescription drug pricing, and our May 2003 site visit examined Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS and the lessons to be learned for the U.S. (see the agendas below for examples of past events). While it is not required, many fellows choose to do reporting based on site visits and events, and examples of this work can be found below.

State Health Care and Reform Initiatives, Northern California – March 2008In March 2008, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Northern California with state and local policymakers, migrant farm worker community representatives, and leaders from the business community for a week-long series of briefings on state and local health reform initiatives.Agenda

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2007In November 2007, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on multimedia reporting including database work, blogging, and podcasting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program take a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

Multimedia Workshop with Amy Webb – Washington, D.C., September 24-27, 2007In September, 2007, the fellows met in Washington, D.C. with Amy Webb of Webbmedia Group, LLC, for a three day workshop on multimedia tools to help them in their fellowship projects and their reporting in general. During the workshop they also received briefings on funding for global health issues and health care concerns related to immigration.Agenda

Health Issues Post-Katrina: New Orleans, LA and the Gulf Coast Region – March 2007In March 2007, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in New Orleans, LA and travelled to Gulfport, MS and Baton Rouge, LA for a weeklong series of briefings with health experts, policymakers and health care providers on the changing health challenges in the Gulf Coast Region.Agenda Reporting from New Orleans Site Visit

Quality of Care Issues Brifing: Washington, DC – February 2007In February 2007, the Kaiser Media Fellows met in Washington, DC, for a one-day seminar on evaluating and improving the quality of medical care.Agenda

Hospital Financing Seminar: Boston, MA – November 2006In advance of the 2006 Nieman Conference, some of the 2006 Kaiser Media Fellows attended a halfday-long seminar on hospital financing issues with Nancy Kane, Professor of Management in the Department of Health Management at the Harvard University School of Public Health.Agenda

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2006In November 2006, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program take a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

THERE WERE NO SITE VISITS BETWEEN AUGUST 2005 AND NOVEMBER 2006 WHILE THE KAISER MEDIA FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM WAS ON HIATUS.

The VA System: Washington, DC, Wilmington, DE, Coatesville, PA, Baltimore, MD – August 2005In August 2005, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Washington, DC, and traveled to Coatesville, PA, Wilmington, DE, and Baltimore, MD, for a weeklong series of briefings on the VA health care system.Agenda

Washington, D.C. – May 2005In May 2005, the Kaiser Media Fellows met in Washington, DC for briefings on SARS and Medicare Part D, and also met with the national advisory committee to discuss fellows’ projects, fellowship program experiences, and lessons for future selections.Agenda

Florida’s Medicaid Program: Tallahassee & Miami, Florida – April 2005In April 2005, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Tallahassee and Miami for a weeklong series of briefings focused on Governor Bush’s proposed changes to the State’s Medicaid program, and the potential implications of such reform.Agenda

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2004In November 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program takes a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

Washington, D.C. – September 2004In September 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows met in Washington, DC for a series of briefings on the uninsured and the Medicare prescription drug benefit with Kaiser Foundation staff and CMS officials.Agenda

SARS & Prescription Drug Issues: Toronto & Ottawa, Canada – August 2004In August 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Toronto and Ottawa for a weeklong series of briefings on SARS and prescription drug issues in Canada, and to discuss the lessons to be learned for the U.S.Agenda

Minority Journalists’ Workshop, “Reporting on HIV/AIDS in the US,” Washington, D.C. – August 2004In August 2004 the Kaiser Media Fellowships Program held a workshop for minority journalists ahead of the UNITY: Journalists of Color, Inc. convention in Washington, D.C.Agenda Racial Barriers to Health Care: Atlanta, GA – April 2004In April 2004, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Atlanta, GA for a weeklong series of briefings that examined diversity issues and barriers to health care, and the implications for the city.Agenda

The conference included presentations by David Satcher, M.D., former U.S. Surgeon General, Director of the National Center for Primary Care; Julie Gerberding, M.D., Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control; Anthony Fauci, M.D., Director of the National Institutes on Health, and others and a discussion of “AIDS at 21: Media Coverage of the HIV Epidemic 1981-2002,” a comprehensive Kaiser study published in the March/April edition of the Columbia Journalism Review.

The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida – November 2003 In November 2003, the Kaiser Media Fellows met at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a three day program on computer-assisted health reporting. The Kaiser Media Fellowships Program takes a group of journalists to the Poynter Institute each year.Agenda

Challenges to the County Public Health Care System: Los Angeles, CA – August 2003In August 2003, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Los Angeles for a weeklong series of briefings focused on the challenges facing the Los Angeles County public health care system, including the services in place to provide care for the uninsured.Agenda

Brazil’s Response to HIV/AIDS:Brazil – May 2003 In May 2003, the Kaiser Media Fellows and a group of senior health/medical journalists visited Brazil for a weeklong series of briefings on Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS.Agenda

Reporting from Brazil Site Visit

Susan Dentzer, of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, joined the Kaiser Media Fellows in Brazil to report on the country’s HIV treatment and prevention programs.

Sue Valentine, editor of the South African news agency Health-e, joined the Kaiser Media Fellows on the sitevisit to Brazil and reported on Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS.

Airlie House Reunion, Warrenton, VA – October 2002 In October 2002, the Kaiser Media Fellowships Program hosted a reunion at the Airlie Center in Warrenton, VA, that gave the Fellows an opportunity to meet and catch up with other Fellows, the advisory committee, and other invited health journalists. Agenda

Multicultural Health and Immigration Issues: Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada – August 2002In August 2002, the Kaiser Media Fellows and invited journalists met in Seattle, WA and Vancouver, Canada for a weeklong series of briefings on multicultural health and immigration issues.Agenda